Frequently Asked Questions

How frequently is UnityJDBC released?

UnityJDBC has a major release every year and frequent update releases on a monthly basis. The latest version 4.3 was released March 28, 2016.

How does support work?

All trial users are entitled to the same unlimited technical support as registered users. A UnityJDBC license includes one year of technical support. Support questions and issues are usually answered within 24 hours. Email support questions to support@unityjdbc.com or call 1-250-863-6296.

Is there a limit on the number of databases queried?

There is no limit on the number of databases involved in a single query.

How does SQL dialect translation work?

UnityJDBC contains a database of known functions and their support in each database system. Functions that are supported on a database are executed on the source or translated into a form that the source expects. Functions that are not supported by the database are executed by UnityJDBC's internal database engine.

Is there a performance overhead in using UnityJDBC?

The performance overhead for using UnityJDBC to query a single database has been evaluated by independent university researchers to be insignificant. A query on a single database is validated by UnityJDBC but executed entirely on the data source (assuming the source supports all functions and features requested). UnityJDBC supports PreparedStatements and query plan and result caching to further improve performance.

Why not use linked or remote tables supported by database vendors?

Database vendors provide the ability to link tables from other sources to execute queries with a wide range of performance and costs. UnityJDBC does not require modifications to existing databases which is often a security and administration issue when querying multiple sources. There are no special privileges required beyond the account that is capable of querying the data source. Further, UnityJDBC can be executed on a client or web server and does not put increased load on existing database servers. Finally, the ability to automatically translate SQL dialects makes migrating and supporting multiple databases more efficient which reduces the overall development time and cost of ownership when producing integrated systems and reports. You can write your SQL that will be automatically ported to whatever database system is used.

Do I require the client or server version?

The client version of UnityJDBC is a license for the driver to be used on a single client machine. Each client machine requires a separate license. A server license is used when the driver is used in a server-configuration such as a web server or server supporting multiple front-end clients. Compare a list of features of client and server versions. Site licenses and volume discounts are available. For more information, contact support@unityjdbc.com